Stroud Township day care where baby died closed

Multiple violations found

The Stroud Township child care facility where a 3-month-old boy was found dead last Thursday is now closed after regulatory violations were found there, the state Department of Public Welfare said Monday.

The Stroud Township child care facility where a 3-month-old boy was found dead last Thursday is now closed after regulatory violations were found there, the state Department of Public Welfare said Monday.

Someone at the facility, which was operating out of a private residence on Jamie Court, called 911 Thursday evening to report that Jasaan Feliciano of East Stroudsburg was unresponsive and possibly not breathing.

Stroud Area Regional Police officers responded and performed CPR on Jasaan until paramedics arrived, but he was pronounced dead a short time later at Pocono Medical Center.

"When DPW inspectors arrived at the home (registered to Deborah Terry Thompson) on Friday afternoon, there were two children in care," DPW Deputy Press Secretary Anne Bale said Monday. "The children were picked up by their parents and all other parents were notified and asked not to bring their children to the home.

"Upon inspection, regulatory violations were observed relating to children's rest equipment, pets, use of a space heater, staff and children's records," Bale said, declining to give further details. "At this time, the facility is closed while the department continues its investigation."

In the past dozen years, the center has had three citations, all of which were corrected, according to a website maintained by the state.

The most recent citation on May 2, 2012, noted that the operator "did not have the necessary 12 hours of training."

Two other citations, dating back to January 2001, noted that the files of three children did not have any health assessments and that another child's record was missing proof of immunizations.

No negative sanctions were listed and the day care certificate of registration was set to expire in September 2014.

Preliminary results of an autopsy performed on Jasaan did not raise cause for suspicion, Monroe County Coroner Bob Allen said.

A forensic pathologist at Lehigh Valley Medical Center did not find any apparent injuries on the body, Allen said. The cause and manner of the child's death are pending toxicology tests, which could take 30 to 60 days. Allen said the child's death was not considered suspicious.

SARP, the Monroe County District Attorney's Office and Monroe County Children & Youth Services are also investigating.